Many mothers are confused about the length of time they should keep their babies on the left and right breasts. There is no fixed time as such, provided the baby is fully fed. Some times, the baby gets satisfied with the first breast. Then he does not need the second breast at all. The mother should make sure that the baby is properly latched on to her breast to make the baby feed longer and better. Also, the mother can make the baby feed longer by compressing the breast.
Some people think that the quantity of milk a mother has can be measured by pumping. It cannot be true because a properly suckling baby can draw more milk from its mother than what she can produce by pumping. More over, the mother’s mental condition, such as stress or tension, can affect the flow of milk during pumping. Hence, pumping is not a proper method of determining the quantity of a mother’s milk.
Another thing to note is that a mother does not need to wash her breasts or nipples before and after feeding the baby because breast milk has enough disinfectant to sterilize the nipples and protect the baby from bacteria and any possible infection. Washing is not only a complicated process, but also removes the anti-bacterial oils present in the nipples. Washing can, on the other hand, contaminate the nipples.
Contrary to what some people propagate, a breastfeeding baby normally does need any extra iron. Breast milk has adequate iron to take care of the baby till it becomes six months old. For that matter, any type of extra food is also unnecessary during the first six months of a breastfeeding baby. Moreover, the baby’s body does not accept the extra iron, because it is not needed. However, if there is a case of iron deficiency, an extra dose can be administered but most of it is also wasted because the baby doesn’t absorb all of it.
Finally, mothers should understand that breastfeeding their babies gives them more freedom and convenience than bottle-feeding. Breast feeding the baby at any place is considered a normal practice, and the mother need not worry about what other people would think if she breast feeds her baby in the public, say, while traveling in a train or relaxing in a park. So she has freedom to feed her baby at her leisure. Moreover, she can take care of the baby at any time since it is always with her.
Breast feeding becomes an easy and natural thing to do when the mother learns how to breast feed her baby properly. It may be a bit difficult to an inexperienced mother but she will get used to it and comfortable in due course of time. A bit of advice from an experienced person about proper feeding would also help.
Posted on January 29th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Breastfeeding, Toddler
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